Most states have rigid laws concerning the minimum size of fish a fisherman can keep. Fish caught that are under the minimum size must be released back into the water. Additionally, many fisherman today have adopted the "catch and release" philosophy of fishing, where all fish caught are released for catching at another time thus preserving the fish population.
It is important when catching and releasing a fish that the fishook be removed from the mouth without causing irreparable damage which kills the fish. When the hook is lodged near the opening of the fish mouth, removal is relatively easy and the fish can be released with minor injuries from which the fish recovers. However, at times, a fish will swallow the hook causing it to be set deep in the gills, throat or stomach. It is usually difficult and often impossible to remove such a deeply set hook without fatally injuring the fish. Accordingly, a fish which swallows a hook usually dies when released back into the water.
A number of fishooks have been developed which are adapted to engage the fish in the internal portion of the fish mouth or throat as the fish swallows the hook. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,340 to Harris discloses a fishook having four hooks connected together at the shanks with the hooks arranged in pairs. The Harris fishook is adapted to extend the individual hooks outwardly when bitten upon by the fish. The hooks project outwardly to engage inside surfaces of the fish's mouth and throat. U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,426 to Steeve discloses another fishook similar to Harris having a plurality of hooks which project outwardly as a fish contracts the assembly with its mouth. Both the Harris and Steeve fishooks are primarily directed to providing a fishook which does not snag weeds and other debris.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,752 to Viveiros discloses a fish hook which includes two hooks or a hook and another part which are spring loaded relative to each other prior to fishing. The hooks spring outwardly when bitten by a fish. The hooks are biased outwardly to hook the fish inside its mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,881,550 to Newkirk discloses a live bait holder and hook device. The device includes two hooks pivotally connected at the shank ends in opposing relationship. A minnow or other live bait is positioned between the oppositely directed hooks and secured therein using a specially formed elastic member which is looped over both the minnow's tail and head, and also looped about the shanks of the hooks. When struck, the device causes the hook points to extend outwardly to engage inside surfaces of the fish's mouth and throat.
The prior art fishooks discussed above all function to hook the fish from inside the mouth, throat and gills. Such designs do not prevent the serious injuries suffered by fish who swallow hooks. Instead each reference provides a plurality of hooks which cause even more serious damage and greatly complicate the job of the fisherman. Such prior art fishooks require the fisherman to extract 2, 3 or 4 hooks using the skill of a surgeon in order to prevent serious or fatal injury to the fish. Accordingly, there remains a need for a fishook which is not swallowed by a fish and which is inexpensive to construct. It is also desirable to have a fishook adapted to engage a fish along outer portions of the fish's snout, thus allowing easy hook removal and only minimal injury to the relatively tough tissue existing on outer portions of the fish's head.